Good Slytherin (Was: Re: Thestrals and Slytherins)

[darrin_burnett]

No: HPFGUIDX 71198


> And greatelderone answered:
> > That was a bad thing? I think you are forgetting that Slytherin had
> > plans to purge the school of non-purebloods with the Basilisk and
> > also that he was heavily responsible for all that crap about
> > purebloods being better than the rest
> >
> 
> I (IZaskun) add my 2 knuts:
> I think bibphile is right. You must remember the line: "Keep your friends
> close, and your enemies even closer".
> It would be a very bad thing if Slytherin house were eliminated. And it
> wouldn't be fair, not all Slytherin are potential DEs.
> Cheers, IZaskun


I have come around to the idea that Salazar was a guy unwilling to change 
with the times, rather than completely evil.

What I can't get around in the idea of Salazar being a Genocidal Lunatic 
Madman (and some long-time posters know how much I adore that phrase) is  
the continued existence of House Slytherin.

Were Salazar really off his rocker into Mad Ethnic-Cleanser Land, I don't see 
the other houses putting up with his students for 1,000 years.

Does Salazar bear some responsibility for what he hath wrought? Well, 
considering his essence has picked people like Riddle, Lucius, Draco, and 
most, if not all, of the DEs, then yeah.

But, from a philosophical point of view, he might not bear any more 
responsibility than Nietschze bears for the Nazis misquoting of his work.

Now, I do still think that Slytherin, post-Riddle, has been in a downward evil 
spiral.  The absence of the elusive "Good Slyth" has become less of a glaring 
omission and more of a plot question to be answered, in my mind.

As for the basilisk, I reject the notion that because only one person was killed, 
it is somehow less monstrous. The other victims in CoS were just plain lucky, 
or in Hermione and Penelope's case, prepared.

I further reject the notion of a defense system, because something that only 
needs  look at you to kill you is going to have a lot of friendly fire casualties. 

Salazar leaving it behind was a reckless act. Perhaps he thought he would 
one day get back there to claim it and never got round to it.

Darrin
-- Hermione and Penelope would be a great girl group.